


When a Pawn Crosses the Board

by thedaygirlatnightisme



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abuse, Abusive Dursley Family (Harry Potter), Child Abuse, F/M, Female Harry Potter, Good Tom Riddle, Sane Tom Riddle
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:54:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27357610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedaygirlatnightisme/pseuds/thedaygirlatnightisme
Summary: What Happens when a pawn crosses the board. It becomes a Queen.A chance meeting one day changes Dahlia Potters life in a way no one could predict.Inspired by When the Pawn is Unchained by AliceKumori
Relationships: Harry Potter/Tom Riddle, Harry Potter/Tom Riddle | Voldemort
Comments: 5
Kudos: 120





	1. Privet Drive

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [When The Pawn is Unchained](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16670023) by [Lorelei_K (AliceKumori)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliceKumori/pseuds/Lorelei_K). 



The strange child looked up at Petunia. Her green eyes felt like they pierced through her. As though she could see everything that was going on in her mind

"Petunia, I'm not keeping your sister's demon spawn around Dudley!"

"We have to, Vernon. You read what the letter said. Besides, Dumbledore said that we would get money if we kept it."

Vernon Dursley, Petunias husband crossed his arms

"Looks at it. She doesn't belong here. What will the neighbors think?"

Petunia picked up the bassinet and walked towards the stairs. 

"Here, we will put her here. We will give her the leftovers of meals and Dudley's old clothes. We need the money, Vernon. None of the neighbors need to know"

Vernon nodded glumly

"I have to get to work."

* * *

Dahlia looked up at her Aunt. Today she was going to start on her chores

"Girl, you're going to use the broom to sweep the whole house."

Dahlia picked up the broom, or picked it up as well as a 4 year old can. She slowly started to use the broom as she had seem Aunt use it

“Faster girl.”

Dahlia attempted to move faster but tripped on the corner of the counter. She looked up at her aunt with wide eyes. 

She felt her aunts hand lash out across her face, her ring digging into her lip and causing it to split

“Look what you did, Freak! You scuffed the edge of my counter! Your lucky Vernon wasn’t here, or it would have been much worse. Go to your cupboard this instant.”

Dahlia stood and moved completely quiet to the cupboard. All of her belongings were in there, not that she had much. Freaks didn’t deserve anything. She already had more than she deserved with the scraps she got occasionally and a roof over her head. 

* * *

Dahlia stared at her aunt as she fawned over Dudley

“Our little boy, about to go on his first day of year 1.”

Her uncle smiled at him

“Have a gift for you son.”

He handed him a big wrapped box

_ If I’m really good, will I get a big wrapped box?” _

Dudley let out a huge scream when he saw the gift

“Daddy, I wanted the XBox! Not the PlayStation.”

He started to bawl his eyes out. Vernon put his hand on his back 

“Don’t worry, Son. I am giving you the PlayStation for downstairs, there is an Xbox in your room right now set up for you to use it.”

That shut Dudley right up, and waddling up the stars as fast as he could

“Freak.”

Dahlia slowly left the safety of her cupboard

“Yes uncle.”

“You are also going to be going to school tomorrow.”

“Yes Uncle.”

“You are going to leave before the sun rises and return after it sets. You will do all your chores then. Do you understand?”

Dahlia nodded

“Say something, girl!”

“Yes uncle.”

Petunia nodded

“Now, go back in your cupboard.”

Dahlia made her way back to it when she heard her uncle scream. The PlayStation he had gotten for Dudley was flying across the room, hitting both her aunt and uncle and going straight for her. Dahlia quickly ducked to avoid it, but didn’t avoid her Uncles hand wrapping around her arm

“You Freak!” 

He hit her in the chest so hard she thought she heard a crack. His hand then hit her arm

“I swear uncle, I didn’t do it, I swear. Please.”

She felt his hand collide with her arm so many times.

“Who else would have done it freak! If you ever do it again, It will be worse for you, I promise you that!”

He dragged her by her arm to the cupboard. She heard him slam the door and the click of the lock.

Now that she was out of their sight she let the tears run down her face, Silently. She learned very quickly that tears were not allowed, not for her at least. That any sound coming out of the cupboard was forbidden, especially if there were guests around.

She twinged as she held her arm, the pain in her chest increasing. Her uncle had always told her that any pain they inflicted on her she deserved. After all, Freaks don’t deserve anything. All they deserved was pain.

Curiously enough though, when she woke up, all the pain in her arm was gone, the same with her chest. But Dahlia knew better then to ask her uncle and Aunt, after all, freaks don't ask questions.

* * *

Sundays were one of the few days Dahlia was allowed outside. One week to go to the store for her family and the next to weed Aunt’s roses.

Today was one of the rose days. Aunt had decided that she would be allowed out on Sundays as the whole street went to church on Sundays, meaning no one could see the freak that lived at number 4.

_ “Stupid Human, coming into where I decided to stay. I will bite you.” _

Dahlia watched as a green snake slithered out of the roses

_ “Please forgive me, I didn’t realize you lived here. I would try to do this elsewhere but my aunt would hurt me.” _

The snake held itself up

_ “A speaker! I have never met one before. Tell me, speaker, how old are you.” _

_ “I am 7 years old.” _

The snake let out a laugh, or rather, what would be considered a laugh

_ “A hatchling! You spoke of how those who live hurt you. Let me bite them.” _

Dahlia smiled

_ “Please don’t, I have nowhere else to go.” _

The snake huffed. Dahlia turned her head

_ “What can I call you?” _

_ “Imbolc” _

_ “I’m Dahlia.” _

* * *

“Freak!”

Her uncle tore open the door

“We're leaving to go to church. You are going to get all of the things on this list, understand girl. Do not come back until after dark, do you understand, Freak?”

Dahlia nodded and slowly picked up the list.

“Here is the money, I expect all the change, you are to get none of it, understand?”

Dahlia nodded

“Yes uncle.”


	2. Mr.Slytherin

Dahlia pulled the heavy basket around the store, going for the potatoes. She tried to pick up the bag but struggled

“Would you like some help with that?”

Dahlia looked up at the man. He had dark hair that fell in ringlets around his red eyes

“I, I don’t want to bother you, ser.”

The man picked up the potatoes along with the basket

“You are too young to be here alone, where are your parents?”

Her eyes went down to the ground

“They died in a car crash.”

The man tilted his head

“Who takes care of you then?”

“My aunt and Uncle.”

The man nodded

“And where are they?”

Dahlia went over the words her uncle had told her to tell anyone who asked

“I volunteered to do the shopping for them while they took my cousin to church.”

The man kneeled down

“I don’t think that's true.”

Dahlia swallowed

_ Uncles going to kill me, I didn’t convince this man! _

“What's your name.”

“I can’t tell a stranger that.”

The man smiled

“Smart, I’ll tell you my name, My name is Marvolo, Marvolo Slytherin.”

Dahlia mumbled out

“Dahlia.”

“Dahlia, what's your last name.”

“Potter.”

"And how old are you."

"I turned 8 last week."

The man smiled

“Well Happy Birthday. Would you like some help, Dahlia.”

Dahlia nodded slightly

“Yes please.”

* * *

Tom

* * *

Tom smiled at the young girl. He had to admit, fate worked in funny ways. Here he was, willingly helping the girl who was prophesied to be his downfall, grocery shop. 

But looking at the girl, she was not the spoiled, selfish girl that Severus had told him about. A spoiled girl would be wearing clothes that she didn’t have to adjust every 5 minutes to keep from falling off of her. 

Tom hadn’t failed to notice the raised scars on her back. The ones that had never truly healed because they were always aggravated more

"Are you heading home now?"

She shook her head

"Uncle says I am only allowed home after dark, so none of the neighbors see me."

Tom froze but made sure it didn't look like he was too bothered

"Would you like to get some food then."

She shook her head

"Uncle says I'm not allowed to use any more of the money then the amount needed for the groceries, he says if he looks and finds any missing he will…"

The young girl froze and stopped talking. Tom kneeled down so he was at the same level as her

"What will he do, Dahlia."

He felt angry as the girl shook

"I, I can't say, Mr.Slytherin."

She looked up at him with her big green eyes full of tears, and Tom felt his anger swell. It didn't matter that this girl would most likely kill him one day. 

No, what mattered was that he was the one responsible for her position. One incomplete prophecy and he thought fit to kill her. Killing her mother and father, leaving the only ones to care for her two muggles who hurt her.

He had sworn that he would make abuse like hers stop. Yet here she was, with the scars to prove it.

"Please, call me Marvolo."

Marvolo moved a strand of her hair away. Trying to play off touching her scar. He had been feeling strange all day. It felt like his soul itself was buzzing. Something he had only felt in the presence of certain items.

Touching her scar had confirmed it.

Dahlia Potter was his horcrux

"Fuck."

The girl looked at him strangely

"What."

He kneeled down to her

"I need to tell you something, Dahlia, have you ever done something you couldn't explain."

* * *

The girl looked at him strangely

"If you went by Voldemort why did you tell me your name was Marvolo?"

Tom sighed

_ I just told her I murdered her parents, that she carries a part of my soul in her veins and for all intensive purposes, I am at fault for her living conditions, and she is asking about why I ask to be called Marvolo? _

"No one knows that Voldemort and Me are the same person, they think I am a politician who happens to have a dark core. The only one who suspects is Albus Dumbledore."

Tom stopped as he watched her brows knit together

"I heard my aunt and uncle say that name once."

"Dumbledore?"

She nodded "they said that they wouldn't be able to get my cousin the new game he wanted if the payments that Dumbledore gave them didn't arrive soon."

Tom froze, why would Dumbledore be paying them? Unless it was to...

"Did they say anything after that, little Horcrux?"

Her brows were furrowed now as she tried to focus

"I think my uncle said something about it being the least he could do for them housing the freak."

Tom felt his anger flare. They called her freak. He was going to make sure their death was long and painful.

"Dahlia,"

The girl bolted up as she looked at the moon

"I have to be back soon, they'll kill me."

The girl picked up the heavy and heaved it across back towards the house

"I'll be here, little horcrux, next time you are free." She smiled back at him, and he felt like he didn't deserve it.

_ It's my fault. It's my fault she has to suffer.  _

* * *

Tom frowned as she cried. A big purple bruise was forming on her face. 

"What happened, little one."

They were sitting in the forest behind number 4, the closest Tom could be without alerting Dumbledore's wards.

The most unsettling thing was the fact no noise was coming out of her mouth

"Little one, I can heal that if you'd like."

She shook her head

"When I healed something once my uncle yelled at me and broke my wrist again." Tom felt the hatred for the family grow. A year had passed since the day he had informed her of the world she was a part of. 

What he had deduced that day made him sick. That Albus Dumbledore, supposed pillar of light, had left his savior to be abused, just so he could get her total loyalty with kindness.

"If I can cheer you up, there letting you leave on Mondays now, yes." She nodded "well, what if, next Monday, I took you to Diagon Alley."

Her eyes brightened

"Really?" 

And tom smiled

"Have I ever lied to you?"

Dumbledore's plan wouldn't work. Tom would make sure of it. 


	3. Gringotts

"Do you have your boomslang with you, Dahlia."

Dahlia nodded, shoving Dudleys old clothes into the bottom of her bag. Happy to be wearing clothes made for girls

"He's right here."

_ "Why I must come, I don't understand."  _

Marvolo smiled

_ "Trust me, Imbolic. You will want to come." _

He offered her his arm

"I'm going to apparate. It will feel a bit strange."

Dahlia took his arm. 

She felt like she was being sucked through a tube much too small for her. It only lasted a second, before she felt like everything felt normal again.

She stumbled

"Woah there, Dahlia."

Marvolo stabilized her with his arm

"Thank you, Marvolo."

He smiled

"We're near Gringotts. You remember what I told you about goblins, right."

She nodded

"That they are a proud race that must be treated with respect." 

* * *

Tom

* * *

Tom softly smiled. That was the strange thing about his little horcrux, she made him smile. Something he wasn't even aware he could do. 

"Come on then."

Dahlia grabbed on to his hand. She had a tendency to do this when he was with him. 

He lowered his head as he walked through the street. Not that he didn't like the attention that being Lord Slytherin brought. It was more that he didn't want Dahlia to be surrounded by witches who were all fawning over him. He didn't want for her to be too overwhelmed the first time she entered her world. 

He did smile, however, when he saw her looking up in awe of the Alley. He remembered the first time he had seen Diagon Alley. The colorful shops, Gingotts rising above all them in its glory. 

"Come along, Dahlia."

She turned to him with the brightest smile imaginable

"It's amazing!"

Tom really didn't deserve to be at the receiving end of that smile.

* * *

Dahlia

* * *

"It's amazing!"

Dahlia looked up at Tom. The corners of his eyes held little wrinkles as he smiled at her

"You want to go see Gringotts now."

She jumped up and down a little

"Yes."

He laughed a little

"Come on then."

She gripped his hand tighter, remembering seeing the kids at school doing this, to make sure they didn't lose each other.

She looked up at the great doors that stood at the front of the marble building

_ ______ _

_ Enter, stranger, but take heed _

_ Of what awaits the sin of greed, _

_ For those who take, but do not earn, _

_ Must pay most dearly in their turn, _

_ So if you seek beneath our floors _

_ A treasure that was never yours, _

_ Thief, you have been warned, beware _

_ Of finding more than treasure there. _

She looked up at Marvolo

"They really don't like thieves, do they."

She smiled as he saw him shake his head. She would never imagine saying something like that to anyone else, too afraid of a hand striking out for her probably misplaced joke. But with Marvolo having never hit her once, she trusted him.

She skipped as she followed him in as he took her to the front desk. But she wasn't looking at the desk. She was craning her neck so she could see the huge domed ceiling.

The doom was mostly made up of gold and silver. But in the four quarters there seemed to be scenes of goblins fighting. Or what she deduced to be goblins, after all Marvolo said that Goblins run the bank and why would a proud race put a different race on their ceiling.

As she watched she saw the scene shift to show the goblins making something.

"It seems the young witch is fascinated by our goblin murals."

She looked at the goblin at the desk who was giving her a toothy grin. Dahlia didn't flinch however, under his gaze.

"I've never seen anything like it."

She timidly spoke

"And I doubt that nothing will compare to it, unless of course, it's made by goblins."

She smiled slightly as the goblin laughed. Placing at Marvolo to see him smiling slightly confused. His eyes hardened slight however as he talked

"Young Mrs.Potter would like a blood test and, if possible, a familiar ritual."

Dahlia smiled widely. He had told her about familiars and how it was the only way an animal other than the 3 on the list were allowed, unless you had special permission from the headmaster.

"Right then, Gornuk."

A second goblin moved forward. Dahlia smiled slightly at him, which confused him for a second before he smiled back. Although his did hold a sinister air. But that was probably just because of his pointy teeth.

"Follow me."

Dahlia followed the goblin through to an office. He laid out a piece of parchment and handed her a knife

“If you would just make a cut along your head line.”

Dahlia looked up at tom and he pointed her to a line across her hand

“This one.”

Dahlia dragged the blade across that line. The blade was so sharp she didn’t even feel it cut through her flesh.

“Now just hold your palm over the page and let the blood drop on to it.”

Dahlia watched as her red blood dripped onto the page. When it touched the page it became gold for a second before it soaked into the page. Marvolo then took her hand and moved her hand over it, healing the cut. Dahlia was blown away when she saw the parchment start to write words by itself.

The goblin however picked it up before she could read it

“Lady Potter, do you permit Lord Slytherin to read you heirships.”

Dahlia nodded 

__________

_ Dahlia  _ _ Euphemia Potter _

_ Born July 31, 2000 _

_ Father _

_ James Fleamont Potter  _

_ Born March 27, 1981 _

_ Died October 31, 2001 _

_ Mother  _

_ Lily Juniper Potter  _

_ Maiden Name, Evans _

_ Born January 30, 1981, _

_ Died October 31, 2001 _

_ Godfather  _

_ Sirius Orion Black _

_ Born November 2, 1880 _

**_Incarcerated_ **

_ Godmother _

_ Alice Hortensia Longbottom _

_ Maiden name, Fortescue  _

_ Born December 10, 1880 _

**_Hospitalized_ **

_ Magical guardian- Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore _

_ Heirships  _

_ Potter (Blood) _

_ Black (Blood Adoption) _

_ Peverell (Blood) _

_ Selwyn (Gifted) _

_ Slytherin (Bond) _

_ Gaunt (Bond) _

_ Magical Gifts _

_ Parseltongue(Bond) _

  
  


**_Soul-bond Detected-_ ** _ Tom Marvolo Riddle _

__

Tom looked up at the goblin

“May I see my page.”

The 

Goblin nodded and pulled out the page

“I will give you two some privacy.”

Dahlia looked up at Marvolo as the goblin left. He was reading his page. He must have sensed her looking at him

“Marvolo, who is Tom Riddle.”

Marvolo sighed and rested his head on the table

“Me.”

Dahlia looked down at the page

“But I thought you were…”

“I go by Marvolo Slytherin because the name Tom Riddle has some unsavory memories attached to it.”

Dahlia looked back at the page

“Can I call you Tom?”

Tom looked at her strangely 

“Is it easier for you to say?”

She nodded slightly 

“Then you can, but only in private please.”

Dahlia nodded before looking down at the page

“Tom. What's a Soul-Bond.”

Tom sighed

“You know the muggle idea of soulmates right?” Dahlia nodded “Well soulbonds are like that, except instead of just being fiction, it is real.”

She nodded again

“So are we soulmates?” Tom nodded “Why do you seem so sad about that?”

Tom sighed

“Dahlia, I’m so much older then you. I'm going to be turning 83 in december.”

Dahlia looked at him strangely before looking down. But she looked back up as Tom stood up

“Give me a second to talk to Gornuk.”

* * *

Tom

* * *

Tom slowly walked out of the room and looked at Gornuk

“Can I ask you something?”

The goblin nodded

“Yes, Lord Slytherin.”   
“As Dahlia is still underage, could I, as her soul-bond, gain Guardianship over her.”

The goblin nodded    
“I believe that it is possible. Magically speaking, it would only take a simple ritual.”

Tom nodded

“And for it to appear on Ministry forms?”

Gornuk shook his head 

“From what I know of the Wizarding government, I’d say a year. At the very least.”

Tom sighed

“How do I become her Guardian?”

“You have to claim the Bond.”

Tom looked at him with wide eyes

“You mean I have to Claim a 9 year old as my soulmate, just so I can get her out of her abusive house?”

The goblin nodded

“You know how magic is, Lord Slytherin. You have studied it more than any wizard I’ve ever met.”

Tom sighed 

“She is 9 and had possibly the purest magical core I’ve ever seen, while I-”

“Are you or are you not the same wizard who is fighting in the Wizengamot for prejudice against magic core to be stopped? You are one of the few wizards that have ever earned my respect, so I am speaking to you honestly”   
Tom sighed

“Can we go through the familiar ritual, I need to have a few minutes to think.”

The goblin and him walked back into the office. Tom smiled softly at Dahlia

“We’re going to do the Familiar Ritual now, Dahlia. Could you bring Imbolic out” 

She smiled widely, the smile that Tom does not think he deserves to be at the receiving end off.

* * *

Dahlia

* * *

  
  


_ “Imbolc.” _

The snake made her way out of the edge of her shirt

“Is this the creature that will be becoming the Heiress Potter's Familiar.”

Dahlia nodded

“Then follow me.”

Dahlia followed them through a door and was greeted by a room with runes on the floor   
“The runes are Gebo at the north, Kano at the east, Thurisa at the south and Berkana at the west.”

_ I’m going to have to ask Tom about runes. I have no clue what those mean. _

“Sit in the center and face the south.” Dahlia did as he said “Now put the boomslang in front of you, on top of the rune. Now cute along your life line.” Dahlia looked at Tom and pointed to one of the lines on his own palm and she cut the same one as that “Now, repeat after me Simul Corde Discurrate Ipsam animam meam ad coniugere dou.”

Tom

Tom watched as Dahlia repeated the words that Gornuk spoke to her

_ She speaks Latin like it is her native language, yet she has never spoken it before. _

He had never watched a ritual like this be carried out before. And so he was surprised to see her start glowing. A golden aura was shining around her form and around Imbolc. A band of light connecting the two of them. It kept shining brighter, and brighter, and brighter and brighter. It kept going until Tom was forced to look away. But all of a sudden it stopped. Tom looked over and the two of them were floating spinning around really fast. But they were slowing down and lowering. Dahlia opened her eyes and looked at him, and so did imbolc, and instead of his usual yellow eyes, dahlia’s green eyes stared back at him though two pairs of eyes

“Did it work?”

The goblin nodded

“It did.”

* * *

Dahlia

* * *

Dahlia smiled and stroked her hand over imbolic’s scales as he slithered over to her

“Familiars are able to be separated from the caster for a week but any longer then that and the souls of both are badly damaged that will need a ritual to heal.”

Dahlia nodded

“Now, Lord Slytherin, do you want to do the soul bond ritual?”   
Tom sighed    
“Dahlia, If we claim our soul-bond Ill be able to get you out of your aunt and uncles house.”

Dahlia smiled 

“Really? Does that mean I could live with you?”

Tom smiled

“Okay then, yes we will do it.”

The goblin smiled

“Come with me.”


	4. A change of Plans

Tom tapped his fingers on his knee. He would much rather be focusing on his efforts to get Dahlia out of her uncle and aunt’s hands but because of his standing as a member of the Wizengamot he was forced to sit and listen to Dumbledore rambling. Tom wished to pull his wand out and hex the living daylights out of him for leaving Dahlia at those monsters' house. He may be responsible for her parents death, but leaving her there was his choice as her magical guardian. He smothered his smirk. 

He had been informed by the goblins how Dumbledore had attempted to gain access to her vaults, but as his key no longer worked, he was rejected. He had been glad for there being a wizengamot meeting that day. Seeing Dumbledore's face so down brought him immense joy

_ It's the least he deserves. _

As much as he tried to stamp it down, Voldemort was still a part of him, and always had been. Him delving so far into the dark area had twisted his souls to make Tom riddle the voice in he shoved down. 

But Marvolo Slytherin, was the combination needed to birth his plans into fruition.

Tom smiled as the meeting was adorned, he however did not make his way back to Slytherin manor. He walked up to the minister

"Minister."

The man smiled good naturally at him

"Lord Slytherin. Good to see you, how have you been."

Tom plastered on a fake smile, one that most wouldn't be able to tell was fake.

"Wonderful Minister, tell me, how have you been. Your son just graduated Hogwarts right?"

Tom kept his air of interest as the man rambled one about his son. Like he had any interest in that. No, but making the minister of magic favor him, well… the man already disliked Dumbledore because he thought that Dumbledore should be minister instead of him. A few well placed words about how Dumbledore wanted to take his spot and….

Well he will cross that bridge when he comes to it. For now he just needed to get the minister on his side

"And tell me, how is your wife? I heard she wasn't doing so well."

That set him off on a whole nother rant that Tom simply nodded and hummed at and gave the right responses when needed.

_ It's too easy. _

Tom left the meeting giving the minister a false warm goodbye. And he was glad to leave him. He had someone much better to talk to. He left the ministry and quickly flu powdered home.

“Master.”   
“Mabby, could you take these papers to my office.”

“Yes master, Mabby, happy to!”

He falsely smiled at her before apparating to the forest behind number 4.

His heart plummeted when he saw her coiled up against the tree

“Dahlia?”

She looked up at him, he saw her eyes were full of tears but like always she cried silently 

“T-tom.”   
He quickly moved over and she leaned into him and quietly dissolved into more sobs. Tom quickly did some wandless magic and felt his rage increase tenfold. He had been watching her injuries get worse and worse for the past years and he was unable to do anything to help her. 

“Tom?”

He looked into her eyes and felt the silent words being spoken

_ When can I leave? _

He smiled softly even though he struggled to, but he needed to be strong for her

“Soon, Dahlia, soon.”

She leaned into him

“How soon.”

He didn't answer right away, thinking over what he had to do

“Give me a month.”

She smiled up at him, and Tom felt that if he managed to get her out of that house, he may deserve to be on the receiving end of that smile. Maybe.

* * *

* * *

Tom looked around the Wizengamot, smothering a smirk. Dumbledore will have to vote in favor of this law, if he doesn’t want the press to destroy him. The old fool won't even know that this law will only make things harder for him.

No one had guessed that the anonymous law on wizarding guardians was written by a dark core, most actually guessed a neutral core had written it.

He raised his hand as the vote went through. Smiling as he saw not only all the light side vote, but a majority of neutral and dark cores. Looks like his plan went though. 

He went over his plan in his head. After this he needs to go to the new Department of Magical guardianship and Adoption and ask for the necessary papers to make a magical guardian her legal one. He nodded and made his way out of the wizengamot a little later than the others smiling as he made his way to the DMGA

"Hello, I would like to become the legal guardian to my magical ward."

* * *

Dahlia

* * *

_ Tom Tom Tom please come. _

Dahlia smothered her cries as her uncle hit her over her head with a beer bottle, it shattering over her skull. She was shaking, her whole body quaking like a leaf. Her uncle was the only one in the house with her, her Aunt and Dudley going to some mother son thing. 

To put it simply, she was afraid. No, she was terrified. Her uncle was the worst of the three of them and he didn't care if she lived or died, but always stopped because aunt Petunia wanted him to. But with him being drunk and aunt petunia not here?

He stumbled back to the kitchen, too drunk to even walk right. 

Dahlia coiled up tightly, holding her chest that was aching so much it felt like she wouldn't be able to breath soon

"Tom."

"What was that freak!"

Dahlia let a single tear slip out oh her eye

"Tom."

Her uncle stumbled back into the room with another bottle of bear

"Shut up Freak!"

He slurred out

Dahlia coiled up more

"I want to go home."

She braced herself for another hit but it never came. Her vision was going black. She heard a voice speaking out

“You dare to…”   
“Tom?”

She looked up at him as he picked her up

“Dahlia,”

Her vision went black.

* * *

Tom

* * *

Tom looked up at the man who was towering over him

“You dare to..”   
He slurred his words out

“I can, she is under me.”

Tom laid her down gently

“She is more than you can ever dream to be. You insignificant little…”

Tom felt the magic rolling out of him, targeting the man in front of him. He quickly did a spell that would make any magic done untraceable 

“Crucio.”

Tom took delight as the man before him crumpled in pain. Him screaming out slighlenty in pain. But Tom knew he had to stop, it wouldn’t be good to have an investigation. 

Tom remade his memories, angry that he had to make him forget the pay he deserved for hurting Dahlia.But the knowledge that he will lose everything if he doesn’t, that he will fail to get Dahlia away from the man's fists if he doesn't.

He quickly teleported away from the house, only now wondering how he was able to apparate into the house, even with all the wards that had been placed on the house.

“Mabby!”

The house elf teleported in the room

“Master?”

“Get Narcissa Malfoy here, immediately.”

Tom quickly carried her over the room he had prepared for her, wishing that this wasn’t how he had to bring her to the manor. Tucking her in he let a tear slip down his face

_ I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you, Dahlia. I’m so sorry. _


	5. Narcissa Malfoy

“Draco, my dragon, be careful!”

Nacrissa Malfoy shook her head as her son flew at top speed around the Malfoy estates private quidditch pitch. Looking back down at the very interesting book lucius had gotten her. 

Her reading was interrupted by the appearance of a house elf

“Lady Malfoy, Ms, Lord Slytherin sent Mabby to tell you to quickly come to Slytherin Manor.”

Narcissa stood up

“Thank you Mabby. Dobby!” her family's house elf appeared 

“Yes Lady Malfoy.”   
“Inform my husband that lord Slytherin called for me and I will most likely won't be back for a long while.”

The elf bowed and teleported away

“Draco I have to leave.”

The boy landed and crossed his arms

“But mother.”

He whined. She laid a small kiss on his head

“Ill try to be back as soon as I can be, my dragon.”

She went back into the manor and entered the floo room. She gracefully entered the fireplace

“Slytherin Manor.”

She left the fireplace in slytherin manor.

“My lord.”

The man nodded 

“Narcissa, what I am to tell you must not tell anyone.” she nodded, following him “About three years back I was at muggle grocery store when I met a certain young girl. Dahlia Potter.” 

He opened the door to a room and Narcissa gasped. A child, the girl who lived herself, Dahlia Potter laid on the bed. She was much too small for a ten year old and a rather nasty gash was on her head

“My lord she…”

“Can you heal her?”

Narcissa moved her wand over the body

“Her injuries are bad, I can count 4 broken ribs, a broken arm, a very bad concussion and a sprained ankle. Not to mention there appears to be years of improperly healed injuries, years of malnourishment. What happened to her?”

The man sighed and sat down in a chair by the bedside

“Her aunt and Uncle, the family that Dumbledore left her with, they hated her. I’ve been trying to help sense I saw her all those years ago, but anything that's magical she got punished for.”

Narcissa put a hand on his shoulder 

“I can heal her, but it will take a week at least, but.”

He looked up at her 

“But what.”

She shook her head

“Years of abuse do call mental issues, and while she is not a muggle, meaning that some physical ailments that may have been caused by their treatment. I will try to do the most I can.”

He nodded 

“Just do the most you can.”

She started to some wand work

“My lord, could you get Severus, I will need some potions.”

He nodded and got up, he froze for a second before speaking

“Thank you, Narcissa.”

She smiled a little confused

“My lord, you don’t need to thank me.”

She focused back on the child and moved her wand

“Salutemcura. Sanaossa.”

* * *

* * *

“Narcissa.”

She looked up

“Ah Severus, I trust that our lord briefed you on what happened.”

He nodded, his face strained

She walked over and rested her hand on his shoulder, noticing that he was shaking slightly

“Dumbledore, he told me that she was a spoiled and selfish girl, not that…”

His fists curled up

“Now Severus, now is not the time to be angry over dumbassdore’s choices. I need you to brew me some rather strong healing potions and nourishment potions.”

He nodded, glancing over at the girl's unconscious body, before sweeping from the room.

Narcissa went back to doing spells, when she discovered something interesting

“Mabby, go get lord slytherin, immediately!”

* * *

* * *

“Narcissa what is it?”

She nodded 

“My lord, I was doing some more diagnostic spell when I discovered something. I think Dumbledore gave her some," she hesitated “potions when she was a baby.”

She felt fear in her bones when his face went into a look she had seen when he was Voldemort. But she was a Black by blood and a Malfoy by marriage, she would not shrink under his gaze

“What potions?”

She looked over at the girl 

“Potions to decrease growth and to, make her unable to use her magical core to its fullest ability.”

She didn’t fail to notice his look of anger, but he was no longer Voldemort. He hasn’t been since that day he appeared on her doorstep. No longer a snake like monster, but a man with a very dark core, unmistakably the same one as Voldemort.

“Dumbledore will pay for what he did.”

She nodded

* * *

* * *

“Who, who are you.”

She smiled as she saw the brightest green eyes looking up at her, but her smiled saddened when she saw the fear in her eyes

“I am Narcissa Malfoy, Lord Slytherin brought me to heal you.”

She sat up 

“Marvolo?”

She smiled 

“Mabby. Would you get lord Slytherin, inform him she has woken.”

The house elf nodded and went to get him. Narcissa noticed her staring at the spot where the elf had once stood

“That’s a house elf, they work for magical families.”

She noticed how the girl looked down

“Why, why is she wearing such ragged clothes.”

Narcissa smiled

“That is most likely what the family she served before lord Slytherin gave her.”

The girl looked like she wanted to ask more questions but at that moment Lord Slytherin entered the room

“Dahlia.”

“Marvolo!”

Her smile was one of, if not the brightest Narcissa had ever seen. She smiled widely

“I’ll give you two some privacy.”

“Mrs.Malfoy.”

Narcissa looked back at the girl

“Thank you.”

“Oh dear, you don’t need to thank me.”

She made to leave but Lord Slytherin stopped her one more time

“Narcissa, could you bring Lucius and Draco over in a week.”

She smiled,

“Of course my lord, I’m sure Draco would love to meet Dahlia. Would I be allowed to tell them before, I think Lucius would have a heart attack if he saw her with you.” he nodded and made to leave after saying

“Congratulations on finding your soulbond, my lord.” 


	6. Promises made

Albus Dumbledore sometimes thought of himself as the chess master, the people fighting being different levels of pieces based on how much he used them. He didn’t like thinking like that, but it was war, and he had to sacrifice some pieces to get to the end. But now his most valuable piece, the one he had planned to be the pawn to end the game, a checkmate of sorts, was missing. 

Albus dived into the memory, trying to see if he missed anything on his first couple run throughs. 

“Freak!”

The girl whimpered as her uncle hit her over the head with a beer bottle. Albus watched as the man stumbled his way back to the kitchen, but he focused on the girl. She slowly picked herself up and ran out the door, her uncle came back and yelled at her

“Freak, where are you going, you're not allowed to leave today. It’ll be worse for you when you come back! I promise you that!”

The man bellowed, before tripping over the arm of the chair, falling over onto the glass table, smashing it in the process. 

Albus sighed, he wouldn’t lie, he wished he hadn’t needed to place Dahlia in the house, he knew how they were beforehand. But it was needed. She needed to be completely Loyal to him, to see the magical as freedom. And the only way to do that was to place her here. Of course whenever anyone asked he would say bloodwards, which were, of course a part of it.

Dumbledore smiled as his close friend, Alastor Moody walked in

“Dumbledore

“Alastor, did you find her.”

The man shook her head

“We searched all of surrey, no signs of her.”

The headmaster sat down at the chair behind his desk, sighing

“She’ll show up soon, if not she will come to hogwarts in a year or so.”

The man limped out of the office and dumbledore rested his head on the table. He hoped that Dahlia would be found soon, otherwise he would have to change his plan drastically.

_ She'll show up, Albus, sooner or later. _

He looked up at the magical device linked to the wards, hoping he could see it spin. But it stayed still.

* * *

Dahlia

* * *

"Tom, is all this mine?"

Dahlia looked around the room. Awe over taking her

"Of course. Do you think I would have bought a stuffed snake toy for myself?"

She smiled brightly at him. 

"Thank you Tom!"

She moved her arms around him in a tight hug. She felt his hand stroke the back of her head, over her wild curls

"It's the least you deserve, Dahlia."

Dahlia smiled at him but was distracted when she saw Imbolic.

She reached out for his scales, smiling at the familiar warmth radiating off of them

"Imbolic gave Lady Malfoy quite the scare."

She laughed

_ "What did you do?"  _

The snake huffed

_ "I don't know." _

Tom laughed

_ "It was more just the fact of seeing a boomslang wrapped around your hand." _

He looked back at her

"Dahlia, I'm, I'm sorry."

She tilted her head

"Why, why are you sorry, Tom?"

He looked down

“I didn’t protect you.”

Dahlia sat up 

“Tom, you saved me. I thought, I thought I was going to die.”

Tom looked at her 

“I promise, you’ll never think that again.”

They heard a knock on the door

“My Lord, I have the potions you asked for.”

He sat up

“Come in Severus.”

The man opened the door and froze, looking into her eyes. Dahlia felt awkward until he moved

“Here, my lord.”

He handed Tom some potions before hurrying out of the room

“Did, did I do something wrong.”

Tom shook his head

“No, Severus, he had an not so good relationship with your father, one he had originally passed on to you.” Dahlia looked down before Tom seemling read her mind “Originally. I believe that the grudge he held he let go of when he heard of what happened.”

Memories of what happened flew over Dahlia. She felt her breath come quick as her chest heaved up and down. She coiled into herself. 

“Dahlia, Dahlia listen to my voice, it's okay, you are okay, you never have to go back there again, I promise.”

She looked up at him

“You Promise?”

He nodded 

“I swear on my magic, Dahlia, you will never have to live under them again.”

Dahlia smiled weakly before hugging Tom tightly.

Tom slowly moved his hand over the top of dahlia’s mess of curls

“I promise.”


End file.
